


A Death in the Family

by ChloeDevanport



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Worried Batfamily (DCU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28816284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeDevanport/pseuds/ChloeDevanport
Summary: On a cold night in the high up regions of Lebanon, a heavy pain lies upon the heart of Gotham's dark knight. Knowing your partner, a person you love like a son is about to die is a terrible thing. But knowing that there is a person that loves him even more and that you might be the one to take that away from them...that is even worse.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Original Character(s), Jason Todd/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Snow in Lebanon

**Author's Note:**

> Even though the POV-Character is Batman's daughter, it's not Helena Wayne. It's an original character. Also, please forgive me if there are any grammar mistakes, English is not my first language. And now please enjoy this little fanfic that I wrote because Jason Todd deserves better. xD

It's cold. Not like that hollow cold that creeps into your body at night to remind you of the fact that the world is cruel and evil. No, it was more like that sharp cold grip you feel around your throat when you hope to find the right words but they won't come out. A cold that rips through every inch of your whole being and it hurts...goddammit it hurts so much. 

The wind tangling my hair and the snowflakes that feel like sharp needles piercing my skin aren't helping. But that's a pain I can ignore. It's physical, I can endure that. 

But that pain crawling around my heart, just waiting to take a bite out of it...that's just too much. My hands, wrapped around my father's waist are trembling but I have the feeling that if I would only move an inch my body would just give up on me. 

"We're almost there! Hold on just a little longer!" 

His strong, deep voice echoes in my head and it feels like he is trying to give me some hope when in reality he is the one that needs it. After all...it is his fault. At least that's what he believes. For me, there is only one person to blame. Only one person lured Jason into that trap and... God, I don't even want to imagine what he's doing to him right now. I flinch when I feel the teeth of that waiting pain scraping at my heart. 

Please, please...please be still alive, please be safe. That's the only thing I can care about right now. Everything else is just a screaming in the back of my head that has to wait until later. Like the big bruise on my hip or that deep cut on my shoulder. But I'm simply too worried to care about that. I only want one thing... I only want to hold Jason in my arms, feeling the warmth of his skin and the beating of his heart.  
I never thought I would be able to love someone this much but oh I was so wrong. I didn't even notice it until it hit me like a truck. But I guess it happened when I looked into those blue eyes like I did it a million times before when I realized that I loved this dumb idiot. This dumb young boy with a mouth too fast for his own wellbeing. But it seems that I was even dumber for falling in love with him. 

"Watch out!" Ripping me out of my own thoughts I cling even tighter to him than before, when he takes a tall snow hill with the Batpod. It's not a happy landing and it hurts my tired bones but fuck that. I'm the daughter of Batman himself, I should be able to take that like it's nothing. 

The thick black wheels of the Batpod slide through the snow below us and he doesn't even bother to stop. He just lifts me up, knowing that I'm too weak right now to keep up with him, and runs towards the old warehouse. My heart pounds even harder now, it's almost painful. Like it tries to break out of my chest so it can scream into the dark night sky. 

Please, please, please... 

He lets me down, checking in the blink of an eye if I'm able to stand on my own, then he rips open the rusty old latch, almost destroying the hinges. 

"Jason!" 

The first thing I see is the floor covered in blood. My god, it's so much blood... 

"Batman?" It's a soft weak whisper, but it's filled with so much hope. He knew we would come and save him. He never gave up. Not losing a second he runs into the warehouse, picking him up and I can feel his relief but that's when I notice the bright red numbers counting down. "Oh no..." He acts fast, of course he does. He's Batman. So he leaps back into the snow, takes me under his cape and runs.

The explosion that follows is loud, but somehow it's not louder than the beating of my own heart. Why? I don't fucking know. Maybe it's because I'm afraid or because I'm happy or because I can see Jason's bloody and unconscious face right in front of me or maybe it's all at once but I'm too confused to care. There are just so many things in my head right now and the fact that all this thinking takes place in the one second before we crash into the ground is not helping. 

The impact is hard, but it might have been worse if it weren't for my dad and his shielding body. I think I can hear a bone breaking but I'm also pretty sure that he doesn't care. There are far more important things right now. 

"Are you okay?" 

His voice is raspy and soaked with repressed pain but I know he will be fine. He always will. "Yeah...I think so." Clearly a lie but we both know that it's okay. My teeny tiny injuries are a problem that can be handled later. So I sit up even if it hurts and wipe the snow and dirt from my face. "Is...is he alive?" My dad's fingers rush up to Jason's throat and after a second that feels like an eternity he nods and smiles. "Yes, he'll make it. Everything will be okay." It's rare to see him smile but that's proof of how much he actually cares about Jason. He's not the type to wear his heart on his sleeves but he's still a good father. He would do anything for his family. 

"Hey, he's alive. It's okay..." It takes a moment to realize that he's saying that because I'm crying. Hot tears running down my cold and dirty cheeks. "I know I... I was so worried he would be dead... I just..." My voice breaks, everything just falls apart and I slump against my dad's shoulder. "I know, me too.", he says and pulls me closer. No, no you don't... At least not the way I do. Because I love him. Because I realize right now that I couldn't live without this boy by my side. 

My shaking hands touch his bruised face and I feel his breath against my skin. Yeah, he's alive but fixing him will need a lot of time. Even without a medical check-up, I know there are broken bones and other injuries that you can't see. Let alone the trauma the torture caused... My god and all that just to hurt my dad. This time he took it too far. This time I'll make sure the Joker pays for what he did. Because this time he didn't only hurt my father...he hurt me. And hurting me is a mistake he will regret. 

"Come on, let's take him home." He gets up, Jason in his arms and me still having a hand on his cheek. I don't want to let him go... As if he could just disappear if I take my hand away. "Sweetie it's okay, I have him. He is safe now." 

I look up. He never calls me that when we're out on a mission. But I guess it's different now. I guess he kinda knows how much Jason means to me even though I never actually told him. "Okay..." I let go of Jason and walk beside my father while we make our way back into the city. And the snow keeps falling, melting away on Jason's face because he is warm and alive. And that's all that matters right now.


	2. A bird with broken wings

It's dark when we get home. The clouds are guarding the moon and an all swallowing silence is hovering above us. 

Dick is the one who opens the door and I can see the horror filling his face when he sees Jason's body in my father's arms. "Is he...?" Dick presses his lips together unable to fully ask the question. It would be too painful. "No, but he needs some medical help. Where is Alfred?" My dad pushes past the young man who seems to have lost all his cool. "H-He is upstairs.", says Dick while his eyes sweep over to me. 

"Okay, we'll take care of Jason." Seemingly steady as a rock against the wild waves of a restless ocean he takes the stairs but I know that he's struggling. His hands are shaking so he grips Jason tighter. I'm not following him, we both know that I would lose it if I would see what the Joker did to Jason. So I stay with Dick, who takes my hand and closes the door.  
"Are you hurt?" "Only a little bit.", I whisper, my voice feels weak and I'm afraid to use it more. "Come on, we'll patch you up." Softly but determinedly he leads me into the living room where I fall onto the couch. "Don't worry, Jason is tough. He will survive this." Dick kneels before me and checks my face. "I know...but that's not the point." I close my eyes. I don't want to be patched up, I want Dick to hold me like when we were younger. Every time I had a nightmare he was there for me and since this whole day feels like an endless nightmare a hug from my big brother would be great. 

"I know. I know you love him and I know how it feels to be afraid of losing someone who is important to you." Dick takes my shoes off. "But you're lucky because he's alive. And whatever happened...you two can get through that." I roll my eyes but it hurts in the back of my head so I close them. "You know...sometimes I hate your optimistic nonsense." "Nah, don't be like that.", Dick sighs and helps me take off my jacket.  
"Be like what?", I ask even though I already know the answer. "You're scared and hurt and you try to hide that. Just like dad." He examines the cut on my shoulder and gently wipes the blood away. "Well...I guess I am his daughter after all." I lay my own hand over Dick's, hoping that he gets the hint. "You're so much more than that and that's why Jason loves you.", he says and pulls me into his arms. And that's all it takes for me to break down. Tears start streaming from my eyes but I don't bother to wipe them away. It doesn't matter right now. 

I just want to be able to let go for a few minutes, be the little girl again that crawls into her brother's bed because the shadows are scary. And Dick lets me be, just holding me and stroking my messy hair. 

Half an hour later all my cuts and bruises are mostly fixed. Dick's sitting next to me, a glass of whisky in his hand. I chugged mine five minutes ago. "You really think he is fine?", I ask nervously, knowing that I asked the same question a least ten times since Dick patched me up. "Yeah, I'm sure. Stop worrying, okay?" He looks at me with that typical big bro look in his eyes and I can't help but smile a little bit. 

"Hey there she is.", Dick says and lightly caresses my cheek. I'm really glad that he's with me right now. God knows what would've happened if I were alone while Alfred and dad take care of Jason. 

"Are you two drinking my whisky?" Dick's head jolts up, we both didn't hear the steps. "No we uhm...we...", he stammers and tries to hide the glass behind his back. "Don't worry. On nights like this...I guess it's okay." My father sits beside me on the almost ridiculous large couch. "What about Jason? Is he awake?", I ask, sounding like a scared little child. "No, but he's okay. Alfred did his best and within a few months, he will have completely recovered." My father puts a hand on my shoulder. "You can go see him now."

I nod and get up. My legs feel shaky but I'd rather die than let Dick or dad carry me upstairs. Slowly I make my way heading to the wide stairs, clinging myself to the railing when I set my foot on the first step. My body feels weak after all the crying and to be honest I can't remember when I ate the last time. But I wanna be dammed if I can't walk to the bedroom on my own to see my boyfriend. 

My hand cramps when I lay it on the door handle, but I ignore it. I'm just nervous, that's all. I open the door and step inside the dimmed room. A sharp smell of blood and disinfection spray goes right up my nose. Alfred really did his best cause under all that I can smell a bit of lavender. He always did that to cover it up when Dad got seriously injured so I wouldn't notice. I did anyway but the thought is that counts.

As I get closer to the bed I hear Jason's breathing and my tense body relaxes. He is almost completely covered in bandages, except his hands and face. My god...he looks so peaceful now. But it's always like that, people look vulnerable when they sleep as if all their thoughts and feelings are resting. I lower myself onto the edge of the bed and carefully take Jason's hand. 

His long, thick lashes are casting dark shadows onto his pale cheeks and I just sit there and look at him, glad that he lives and breathes and is still with me. I don't know how much time passes but suddenly his hand moves and his fingers find their way between mine. "Jason?" A soft murmur and his blue eyes open. My heart stops. "Hey little wing..." He smiles. That soft but cheeky smile that I fell in love with. My heart crashes and I feel my eyes burning up again. 

"I am so...so sorry. I never wanted this to happen..." My voice gets stuck in my throat, tears tarnish my view. 

"Hey hey...it's okay. It's not your fault." He squeezes my hand lightly. "I thought I would lose you...I...I couldn't..." "But you didn't lose me. I'm here, look at me." Jason tugs at my hand and I look up. He's still smiling, but I can see that he's at the brim of tears. "God I love you so fucking much...", I whimper and kiss his hand. "Me too, little wing. More than anything." He brushes my lip with his thumb and I bow down to give him a real kiss. 

A wave of relief crashes above us and Jason digs his fingers into my hair like he always does. I could never ever live without him, I need him. Just like dad needs his fear and just like Dick needs this family. Maybe it's fucked up and maybe there's something wrong with me...ugh who am I kidding, of course there's something wrong with me, but as long as I can be with Jason I don't care. And anybody who tries to take him away from me...will regret that.


End file.
